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Biotech Industry Innovators

Biology And Biomedical Sciences 5014 - Spring 2019

Late one Friday afternoon in January 1976, the late venture capitalist Robert Swanson met with biochemist Herb Boyer, PhD, at his UCSF lab. Swanson had requested 10 minutes of Boyer's time; when the meeting ended, three hours later at Churchill's, a San Francisco pub, the foundations had been laid for the formation of Genentech, the first biotechnology company, and the beginnings of the biotechnology industry. Genentech was formally incorporated April 7, 1976, just six days after, and less than 30 miles away, from the founding of Apple, Inc. (the most valuable company in the world!). Why the differences in today's values?
This course, The Basics of Bio-Entrepreneurship / Biotech Industry Innovators, investigates issues and choices that inventors / scientists encounter when they are considering the applications and commercialization of early stage scientific discoveries. This course is intended for anyone interested in careers in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, or life-sciences industries as a founder, scientist, entrepreneur, manager, consultant, or investor.
The course introduces students to entrepreneurship, angel investing, venture capital investing, technology transfer, and other careers that students with degrees in biosciences may want to consider. It focuses, through case studies, lectures, and class projects, on the issues and decision processes that entrepreneurial researchers and their business partners, including angel investors and venture capitalists, typically face when considering how a discovery might best be moved from academia to successful commercialization. Industry experts make presentations to the class.Course Attributes: